The appeal of dolls to children and adults through the ages is well documented. From the days of King Tut when stone dolls were used, to the present day computer users of Barbie.RTM. and Ken.RTM. dolls, dolls have been cherished. Ceramic dolls costing into the thousands of dollars as collectibles are readily available.
Dolls are also used for therapy. It is well known that when children are removed from abusive surroundings, that they are often given a doll or teddy bear to ease the transition to a new circumstance. It is believed that items such as dolls, that are suggestive of comfortable situations or persons have this therapeutic restful effect upon the recipient.
One type of doll that can be comforting to both kids of any age and to adults as well is a doll that contains a photographic representation of a loved one. Thus a child will find pleasure in having a representation of himself/herself, another sibling or even an adult member of the immediate family or possibly a favorite aunt or uncle.
Indeed photographic images have been found on dolls previously. As the result of a patent search, applicant became aware of the following patents, none of which anticipates or renders obvious the invention of this application:
______________________________________ Wilson 5,382,187 January 17, 1995 Gintling 5,403,274 August 4, 1995 Mills 5,515,592 May 14, 1996 ______________________________________
There are various problems associated with each of these prior art photographic image containing dolls. For example, one doll has a photosensitive paper face which can be readily destroyed by young children and which could cause illness if ingested. One doll has a thermal image thereon which is difficult to apply. Yet another doll has an unusual shape, that is not readily identifiable by either an adult or a child.
It is an object therefore of this invention to provide a stuffed doll that has an interchangeable photographic face that can be replaced over time.
It is another object of this invention to provide a doll that is safe for children of all ages.
It is yet another object to provide a doll that is racially generic and which has a photograph for a face.
It is a further object to provide a doll whose facial image can be quickly and easily replaced even by a 10 year old.
It is a still further object to provide a doll which while having a photographic face is still soft and cuddly.
It is a yet further object to provide a stuffed doll having a photograph for a face and which has a voice chip therein.
Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.
The invention accordingly comprises the device possessing the features properties and the relation of components which are exemplified in the following detailed disclosure and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.
For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention reference should be made to the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.